1 – The Night He Walked In
Rain swept through the streets of Manhattan, turning the sidewalks into mirrors of silver and shadow. Inside the small café on 14th Street, Lila Carter wiped her damp hands on her apron, watching the storm lash against the windows. The evening rush was over. Only the hum of the coffee machine and the faint chatter of two students in the corner filled the air.
She was about to start closing up when the door chimed.
He stepped inside.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark tailored suit that looked like it had been cut to his form by the hands of angels. His black hair gleamed under the soft golden lights, and his eyes—God, his eyes—were a molten shade of gold she had never seen on a human before.
He didn't hesitate, didn't glance around. His gaze locked on hers instantly, like he had walked through the storm for this moment alone.
"Coffee," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Black."
Lila nodded, her fingers curling around the coffee pot. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched—not in the casual way customers sometimes stared, but in a way that felt… searching.
When she set the cup down in front of him, his lips curved faintly, as though amused. "I've been looking for you, Miss Carter."
Her breath caught. "I'm sorry… do I know you?"
"You don't," he said smoothly, "but you will."
Before she could respond, the lights flickered. The storm outside roared louder, almost shaking the glass. And in the reflection of the café window, just for a heartbeat, she swore she saw not the city—but the silhouette of a massive, glowing c
astle in the distance.
Chapter 2 – A Name That Shouldn't Be Known
Lila's fingers tightened around the counter. "How… how do you know my name?"
The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lifted the cup, took a slow sip, and set it back down with deliberate care. "Names have power," he said at last. "And yours has been missing from my world for a very long time."
Her heart gave an uneasy thump. Missing from his world? What did that even mean? She wanted to laugh it off, to tell him he had the wrong girl—but the way he looked at her made the words stick in her throat.
"Look," she began cautiously, "I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm just a waitress."
He leaned forward, and for a moment, the dim café lights caught the faintest shimmer in his eyes—like sunlight hitting molten gold. "You are anything but just a waitress."
Before she could react, the front door burst open with a violent clang, making the bell jangle wildly. Two men in black coats strode in, their faces shadowed by the storm's gloom. The air in the café shifted, heavy and tense.
The stranger's expression hardened. He rose to his full, towering height and stepped slightly in front of her. "Stay behind me, Lila."
The taller of the newcomers smirked. "So, we've finally found her."
Her pulse spiked. Found me?
The stranger's voice was like steel. "Not tonight."
In one fluid motion, he drew something from inside his coat—a sleek, silver-hilted blade that shimmered faintly, as if catching lig
ht that wasn't there.
Chapter 3 – The Blade of Veyron
The café felt smaller, the walls pressing in as the storm howled outside. Lila's breath caught in her throat when the stranger moved—no, flowed—toward the men in black.
His blade gleamed faintly blue in the dim light, every line of its silver hilt etched with strange markings that looked… ancient. The two men hesitated for the briefest moment before drawing long, narrow knives of their own.
"This is a public place," Lila blurted, her voice trembling. "You can't—"
She didn't finish the sentence. One of the men lunged forward, knife flashing. The stranger's arm blurred, and with a single, almost effortless swing, he knocked the weapon aside. The air cracked with a metallic ring, the sound too sharp for normal steel.
"You don't belong here," the stranger said coldly.
The shorter man smirked. "Neither do you, Veyron."
The name sent a shiver down Lila's spine. She didn't know why, but it felt… familiar, like an echo in the back of her mind.
The fight was quick—almost too quick for her eyes to follow. In seconds, both men were disarmed, their knives clattering across the floor. The stranger didn't kill them; instead, he pressed the glowing edge of his blade against one man's throat.
"Tell your queen," he said in a voice that could cut stone, "that Lila Carter is under my protection now."
The men exchanged a glance, then backed toward the door. They slipped out into the storm without another word.
Lila was frozen, gripping the counter for balance. "What just happened?" she whispered.
The stranger turned toward her, his eyes softer now. "It's time you knew the truth," he said. "You're no
t who you think you are."
4 – The Truth Beneath the Storm
The café was silent now, save for the steady drumming of rain on the windows. Lila's hands were still trembling. She stared at the stranger—Adrian Veyron, if that was really his name—as if he'd stepped out of a dream she didn't want to be in.
"You're going to think I'm crazy," he began, sliding the blade back into some hidden sheath beneath his coat. "But you need to hear this before it's too late."
"I already think you're crazy," Lila said, her voice sharper than she intended. "Men in black, swords glowing like something out of a movie, and you—" She gestured wildly at him. "You know my name, and I've never seen you before."
Adrian's gaze didn't waver. "You were born far from here. Far from this city, this world."
Lila laughed, but it was hollow. "Right. So now I'm… what? An alien princess?"
"Not alien," he said quietly. "Royal."
Her breath hitched, but she forced out a scoff. "That's—"
"Your real name is Liora Selene of House Caelvar," Adrian interrupted, his tone low but firm. "You are the lost heir to the throne of Eryndral, a kingdom hidden from human eyes."
She stared at him, stunned into silence.
He reached into his coat and pulled out something small—delicate. A pendant. Gold, shaped like a crescent moon wrapped around a sapphire.
"I've kept this safe since the night you were taken," he said, placing it gently on the counter. "It belongs to you."
Her fingers hovered above it. She didn't want to touch it. She wanted to run.
"Why now?" she whispered. "Why come find me after all these years?"
Adrian's golden eyes darkened. "Because the queen knows where
you are… and she's coming."
5 – Shadows at the Door
The café felt colder, as if Adrian's words had pulled all the warmth from the air. Lila's gaze darted between him and the pendant. Her instincts screamed that this was insane—yet somewhere deep in her chest, something ached at the sight of it, as if a locked door in her memory had shifted.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "I have a life here. A job. Rent to—"
The café lights flickered again.
Adrian's head snapped toward the door just as it burst open for the second time that night. But this time, it wasn't the men in black—it was worse.
Three figures stepped inside, cloaked head to toe. Their hoods dripped with rain, but it was their eyes—glowing the same golden hue as Adrian's—that made Lila's stomach twist.
"Royal Guard," Adrian muttered under his breath. His tone was dark. "But not mine."
The tallest of them stepped forward, pulling back his hood to reveal sharp, angular features and a cruel smile. "Liora Selene," he said, his voice like silk stretched too thin. "By order of Queen Selene of Eryndral, you are to come with us."
Lila shook her head, backing away until she hit the counter. "I don't even know you!"
The guard's smile widened. "You will."
Adrian was already moving, stepping between her and the intruders. His blade shimmered into existence again, its strange markings pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
"Stay behind me," he told her, and this time, she didn't argue.
The storm outside roared louder, wind rattling the windows. Somewhere in the distance, Lila thought she heard a faint, otherworldly horn—like a call to battle.
And then,
the first guard lunged.